The Days After
by Platinum Flame
Summary: Legolas and Gimli... kill lots of orcs
1. Prologue

{Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or names of characters/places, etc., all are owned by J.R.R. Tolkien and whatever company published the Lord of the Rings series}  
  
  
  
Prologue  
  
Legolas Greenleaf stepped into the sunlight, glancing around warily. The orcs were close, and he knew it. Of course, they were disorganized. They always were, since the Ring was destroyed. There, a movement to the right!  
  
Legolas brought up his bow as eight orcs charged out of the brush at him. Three of them were dead before they got close to him. When they got too close, Legolas brought his bow up and hit one of the orcs in the head, quickly stabbing it with the arrow he had lost the chance to use. Then he whipped out his daggers.  
  
The elf spun and stabbed, barely missing as the orc dodged. The clumsy beast brought it's crude sword to bear, attempting to split Legolas open. The nimble elf easily sidestepped, slicing through the orc's throat, quickly bringing up both of his daggers to deflect another sword stroke, bringing one down to gut the orc. He brought both daggers around and stabbed two charging orcs in the chests, leaving him alone amidst the dead bodies. He sighed.  
  
Legolas wandered back towards Rivendell, wondering at where any of the other members of the Fellowship were. He pondered about Sam, Pippin, Gimli, Gandalf, Frodo, Aragorn, and Merry. The dwarf was probably still clearing out Moria. The hobbits were most likely stuffing their faces in the Shire. Aragorn was running his kingdom. Gandalf could be anywhere. The elf sighed.  
  
Hearing a sound, he spun and fitted an arrow, having the string back before he finished turning. A grin cracked his face as an axe, followed by a familiar face, walked into the dale. "Gimli!"  
  
The dwarf smiled as they clasped hands. "Good to see you, elf." He looked around. "Count?"  
  
Legolas grinned. "Three hundred and seventeen since we parted, my friend."  
  
The grin dropped from Gimli's face. Then he growled something. "Three hundred and fourteen."  
  
Legolas smiled. "How are things in Moria?"  
  
Gimli glared at the elf. "The orcs never stop. Moria is a lost cause. I came to find you, but you had to be running around in the woods. I would expect nothing less from a smelly elf like you." He grinned slightly. "So, are there any more orcs to kill?" With that, the two friends walked back to Rivendell, sharing battle stories the entire way. 


	2. The Reunion

Gimli leaned back and sighed. "Fine. I'll tell you my story." He grumbled something about elves and them being able to talk mithril out of the hands of a dwarf. "I went back to Moria, seeking revenge for the dwarves killed there. After spending three days attempting to find a way across that bridge, I left after I got shot in the ass with an arrow. Those damn goblins just wouldn't stop shooting me. And the orcs that kept charging me got really annoying. There's how I ended up with my number. So, elf, how have things been in this part of Middle-Earth?"  
  
Legolas leaned back and grinned slightly. "Lots of orcs. In the past few weeks, they keep having these little bands attempt to attack Rivendell. I was voted as the protector of our little village. So, I hunt. They never seem to end do they?"  
  
"Nope. That they don't." Gimli looked around. "What is their to do in this hellhole besides talk and kill orcs? As much as I enjoy the latter, I would rather take on an army."  
  
Legolas sighed. "Us elves tend to enjoy sitting around for eternity and do nothing. I'd rather shoot things." The elf picked up a book. "We like to read."  
  
Gimli snorted. "Read? That's for wizards. I want to chop something."  
  
Legolas drew a knife and threw it easily, hitting a small mark on the wall. "Yeah, life here sucks. The orcs don't offer a challenge anymore. They only attack in small groups, and nothing ever comes close to those orc/goblin crossbreeds. I almost wish for something that will challenge me."  
  
Gimli smiled at his old friend. "I have just the idea. It's the reason I came here, elf. I've heard rumors of a dragon. With lots of gold and. stuff, I guess. All I really want is the gold. And to fight a dragon. I thought that you might want to help me. observe the truth of these rumors."  
  
Legolas regarded the dwarf with a keen interest. "I doubt there is any truth behind it, considering the last dragon that I heard of was the one that Bilbo took on, but I really need something to do. Where is this dragon supposedly at?"  
  
Gimli grinned again. "Why, that's part of the fun, elf. We have to find out. If, of course, you decide to attempt to capture riches beyond your dreams."  
  
"Gimli, I'm an elf. I have had a very long time to dream. You'd be surprised at what I can some up with."  
  
"Trust me, elf, I've heard stories about dragon's hoards. Plus, we might get to stop by Mirkwood." A dreamy look filled the dwarf's eyes, a very uncommon sight. Legolas couldn't help himself, and burst into laughter. Gimli broke from his trance and growled at his friend. "Curse you, elf! Why don't you find a true love and see how you feel!"  
  
Legolas calmed himself and steadied his gaze at Gimli. "You just looked very odd with a look of bewildered, unbridled love for a creature so clearly out of your range, dwarf."  
  
Gimli scowled. "Fine, elf. I guess that I'll just keep all of that treasure to myself." He stood and turned towards the door, stopping suddenly as an arrow flew by his head.  
  
"Now, Gimli, did I ever say that I wouldn't go with you? I find this rumor rather intriguing. But we will need to do this methodically. I have a feeling that bursting into random kingdoms and demanding information is not the best idea at the moment. You really need a little of diplomacy on this quest of yours, and diplomacy, my friend, is something that you are extremely lacking in. So, what exactly was your plan?"  
  
"Ummm." Gimli thought for a second. "Go to some weak kingdom, speak to the ruler of that kingdom, and threaten to chop his kneecaps out if he didn't tell me what I needed to know."  
  
"Right. And what makes you think that said ruler wouldn't lie to get you away from his kneecaps with that axe of yours?"  
  
"I have the ears of a."  
  
"You tried that one. You almost got shot. Ironically enough, it was in Mirkwood. How about we speak to Aragorn. He usually knows what's going on, and I doubt that we'll find Gandalf unless we get a very lucky break. So, let's go to find our old friend the ranger, shall we?"  
  
"Interesting idea, elf. How did you come up with it?"  
  
"Elves, unlike some other races, have brains, dwarf." A growl was the response to that, much as Legolas expected. "On to the next step of our plan. If the dragon is real, and if we find it, what are we going to do about it?"  
  
"Kill it, you stupid elf! What else could we do?"  
  
"Be more specific. How would we go about killing this dragon of yours?"  
  
"Well, we'd. we'd."  
  
"My point exactly. Let's work on that shall we? Come, let's find a more secluded place where no one may eavesdrop on us."  
  
As they left, Gimli stopped. "Hey, elf!" Legolas turned, watching as the dwarf spun and chucked his axe at the wall, splitting Legolas's dagger in half. "Shall we?" The elf chuckled as they left the room.  
  
A shadow crept from the window where it was watching the elf and the dwarf discuss treasure and dragons. It smiled wickedly. It would wait patiently for the two to get the information that it needed, then kill them slowly and get this treasure. It rubbed it's "hands" together, and slid down the wall, slipping into the darkness of the evening. 


End file.
